The DC Extended Universe has received its fair share of criticism. The three released films to date — Man of Steel, Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad— all have more than a few problems. But still, the future of the DCEU looks bright, especially when it comes to highlighting strong female superheroes, and villains.

Wonder Womanis right around the corner, and already, the Gal Gadot-starring film appears to be attracting considerable buzz. Wonder Woman will return later this year in Justice League, but she will not be the only super-powered heroine in that film. Set to play a small role in Justice League, before a much larger turn in James Wan's Aquaman, is Mera, played by actress Amber Heard.

Filming for Aquamanbegan in early May, and already we are starting to get some looks at Mera, Queen of Atlantis — as can be seen below in a tweet from actress Amber Heard. With more Aquaman news likely to drop throughout production, now seems as good a time as ever to get better acquainted with one of the more powerful characters in the DC Universe.

1. Princess of Xebel

Despite being Queen of Atlantis, Mera is originally from an extradimensional colony known as Xebel, of which she was a princess. On the orders of the King of Xebel, Mera initially travels to Atlantis as an enemy. Being from another dimension, her anatomy is slightly different from the that of the Atlanteans. And this turns out to save her life.

Shortly after the death of their son, Mera goes mad, and eventually attacks Aquaman. Defending himself, he accidentally throws Mera onto a piece of metal. While it initially appears that she died, she later rises from her coffin, telling her husband that her physiology means her organs are in different places than they would be if she was from Atlantis.

She also blames Aquaman's "weak genes" for the death of their son.

2. Powers

Mera is one of the most powerful characters in the entire DC Universe — male or female. Much like Aquaman, Mera possesses super strength, an ability to breath under water and superhuman swimming capabilities. But Mera possesses abilities that Aquaman does not. She can control and manipulate water, including altering its density, allowing her to create hard water daggers to be used against her adversaries — occasionally even Aquaman.

3. Assassin

While Mera may be happily married to Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, that was never her intention. In the DC Comics' crossover storyline, "Brightest Day," Mera reveals to her husband that she was originally sent to Atlantis to murder him. In fact, she had trained her whole life to complete that mission. Her plan goes awry when she falls in love with her target.

Speaking of training, watch Amber Heard prepare for the role below:

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4. Temper

Mera has become known for having quite the temper. She does not respond well to being criticized, and often finds herself at odds with those from the surface world. Her tendency to fall into a rage eventually leads to her becoming a member of the Red Lantern Corps during the "Blackest Night" crossover. And unlike the Green Lanterns, the Red Lanterns are not so nice.

5. "Flashpoint"

Though she appears primarily in flashbacks, Mera plays an instrumental role in the escalating conflict portrayed in DC's "Flashpoint" crossover event. As fans of The Flashknow, Barry Allen creates an alternate reality when he decides to run back in time and prevent his mother's death. In the television series, the changes to the world seem minor when compared to the comics.

When Barry travels back in time in the comics, he awakens to a world that is on the brink of destruction. In the "Flashpoint" timeline, Aquaman leads his people in a war against Wonder Woman and the Amazons. In this reality, Mera is killed in a battle with Wonder Woman, causing Aquaman to flood all of Western Europe in an attempt to destroy the Amazons.